The Hunchback of Notre Dame

By: Victor Hugo

Narrated by: Philippe Duquenoy

When it comes to 19th-century French literature, few can compare to Victor Hugo. In 1831, Victor Hugo wrote one of the most memorial gothic stories of all time, Notre Dame de Paris, later changed to The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1833. It is said that Hugo's inspiration for writing this book was the cathedral itself. He worried that society was neglecting the old gothic buildings in favor of new buildings and wanted to bring attention to the structure. As a result of Hugo's concern, the world was treated to a fantastic gothic novel that would continue to be enjoyed for centuries.

This amazing story is set in medieval Paris and is centered on the famed Notre Dame cathedral as well as the three main characters: Esmeralda (the gypsy dancer); Quasimodo (the hunchback); and the priest, Claude Frollo.

Public Domain (P)2017 A.R.N. Publications

Great descriptions of Paris and its buildings

Great descriptions of Paris, its buildings and the characters. Worth the read for that alone

Beautiful story with an excellent narrator.

Beautiful, tragic story. Read it once & then read it again. Truly timeless. The narrator of this audiobook did an excellent job.

NOT A LIGHT READ

This is a great book, but don't take it lightly. this isn't the Disney movie you know and love put into literature. This is a heavy and dark tale that will make you really think about the characters you've come to love. In this, you will respect some enemies even when you watch their downfall, hate the love interests, and especially abhor the captain. Quasimodo is not by far the best character in the book which is no surprise to anyone but he is much darker and bigger then you think. Don't take this book lightly, it's a very long build up with many more storylines then you are aware of. It all accumulates into one large tragedy that is heartbreaking and does not fill you with warm and fuzzies. Listener beware

This is different than the Disney Movie

Where does The Hunchback of Notre Dame rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Another Victor Hugo classic. Middle Ages Paris comes to life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Find out a truer story of the gypsy. Hugo illuminates their character and history.

What does Philippe Duquenoy bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is very believable as he moves from one character to another.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The moments when Quasi stands over the priest as he hangs on the ledge of the cathederal..

Any additional comments?

This is an easy and enjoyable listen!

All turns out as expected

Philippe Duquenoy efficiently delivers nineteen hours of this tale well. He uses Isabelle Hapgood's old translation but this doesn't sound antiquated, but suits the tone of this 19c epic. I liked the poet best and his early fall into the lair of a feast of clever fools. But he soon fades for most of the tale. Thus designated villain the priest Claude Frollo gets a long but interesting backstory setting the course of an utterly predictable plot. We get Quasimodo and Esmeralda and Pheobus all interacting as well as a recluse hidden away with naturally a hidden past. There is a section on the streets and landmarks that takes over an hour or at least seems to....still, I respect Victor Hugo's efforts to remind his country's people of their architecture and heritage. Which is timely, after the fire of 2019 reminded me to finally encounter this novel on audio. It mostly kept some of my interest thanks to Hugo's evocation of the end of the medieval Catholic dominance over France, and the narrator's steady pace. He did not exaggerate the women's voices or camp up Quasi's, and remained respectfu! to the spirit of this moral lesson. And it got me ready for Les Miserables, three times longer, which I hope is a bit more surprising.